Fuel to Fire
by queenoftheworldliza
Summary: With the news that Clarissa is Queen Catherine's first born and the one who the prophecy was intended for Francis returns to Mary and their wedding plans are reinstated. But is that really what Mary wants?
1. Chapter 1

Sebastian let his leather flask of rum fall from his fingers to the floor. He didn't often get drunk, but the alternative of facing reality with a clear head scared him, so alcohol was the perfect things to numb his mind, but more importantly his heart.

Francis's return to court didn't take long when he found out that the prophecy was never intended for him, but a bastard sister he never knew about. Catherine sent for him immediately, delighted to hear that the superstition that she feared so was mistakenly placed on Francis and he could marry Mary after all. Happily ever after could be achieved after all. With the news of his impending return Bash took his leave and rode out towards a country house of his Father's. He'd spent the entire week since in a drunken stupor.

His chances with Mary went from unrealistic to impossible. He knew she cared for Francis still, even if she said her heart was open to loving him. He imagined the joy on her face at Francis's return, the smile that could turn an entire room full of light and he stood up, dragged himself to the washbasin to splash water on his face and returned to the bed, letting his body hit the bed in full force as he fell into a black void of dreamless sleep, which was indeed the best part about being completely sauced.

Mary stood near her bed chamber window looking out onto the courtyard ground. The early afternoon sun shone bright in the sky. The early autumn days still held warmth, though the nights brought a cool breeze.

The news of Clarissa's existence as the Queens child spread through the castle and soon after Nostradamus understood his mistake in the prophecy. Clarissa was the first born meant to die, not Francis. Not long after, Bash disappeared like a thief in the night, and Francis returned the next day. At the begging and pleading of Queen Catherine and with Bash's sudden absence King Henry reinstated the engagement between Francis and Mary. Despite everything returning to what she originally wanted, she hated to admit that she wasn't as happy as she expected. Bash's admiration towards her had stirred something. She missed his intense gaze, his cheeky smile. Francis was eager to be with her, but the memories of the past crowded her head. Queen Catherine might have a friendlier opinion about Mary now that she knew she wouldn't cause her sons demise, but her jealously and dislike still lingered under the surface and it was still apparent to Mary, though it didn't seem to be to Francis who shrugged it off as if his Mother holding a knife to her neck was mere child's play. His absence had caused her to take a look back at their relationship and its progression, the whispers of the servants and each day she grew more and more sad at the thought of marrying him. He'd not accepted her as openly as she had. He let Olivia stay even after she begged of him to place her elsewhere, and as the rumors went, he ran straight to her chambers more than once while she was staying there. Mary felt it was only a matter of time before Olivia was back and reinstated as a mistress. Is that the life she wanted to live? Did she really want to give up happiness and someone who she trusted would really lay his life on the line for her? Someone who had eyes only for her? It's not as if she had a choice anyway. As much as she had tried to control her life, everything was spiraling out of control and always on the whims of others desires.

Questions about Bash plagued her mind so often that she could scarcely sleep. Did he change his mind about how he felt? Did he realize that Mary wasn't worth the responsibility of the throne? Was he tired of all the drama that seemed to follow Mary everywhere she went? She was tired of it herself.

With these troubling thoughts she turned her body away from the window and aimed towards her door.

"Guard, come here, please," she commanded in a gentle tone. The door to her bed chamber opened in response and the guard that stood outside entered.

"Yes, my lady?" he stood straight, the door still halfway opened behind him. Mary pushed passed him to shut it quietly.

"Have you heard news of Sebastian?" she questioned.

The guard shifted a little as he averted his gaze. Mary could see that he didn't want to speak and the silence seemed to stretch an unnatural amount of time before he answered.

"Yes, my lady."

"What have you heard?" Mary tried to remain cool and casual, but her heart began to perk up in response to the news that there were finally rumors of Sebastian's whereabouts. She had snooped a few times in the past week, but nobody knew anything.

"He's taken up temporary residence in the King's country house an hour ride from here."

"Huh." She stated. Mary didn't want to give away any interest. She had already caused such a stir in court herself that she didn't want the guard to get any ideas for rumors.

But Sebastian was only an hour away. In only an hour she could demand the truth from him. With the help of the guard she might be able to see him. The chance was there to take and Mary couldn't resist.

"Might I be able to tempt you for your secrecy?" Mary produced a gold necklace from a box on her nightstand.

The guard stood silent without any immediate response.

"I'll give you this if you help me prepare a horse at the stables and point me in the right direction. The King and Francis are out hunting with the delegates and Catherine has gone to call on a friend, we won't be caught. You needn't worry." Mary hoped her urges convinced him as she pushed the necklace towards his hand.

The guard gave a sigh and gently took the necklace from Mary and set it back on her nightstand.

"You needn't bribe me with gifts, my lady. I am here to serve you."

The kind words brought a smile to Mary's face.

"You are too kind." She replied, grateful that at least someone in the court seemed to be on her side.

The two made plans to meet in half an hour near the road and Mary readied herself for the short journey. She didn't dare roam through the halls, even though nearly everyone was gone or out of the castle. She didn't want anyone to notice her riding habit, especially with the memory of her horse ridden getaway with Sebastian still lingering in the back of everyone's minds.


	2. Chapter 2

Mary arrived quicker than she had thought to the meeting place. The dark and damp passage ways in the castle guided her outside quickly and unseen. The air outside was as warm as it looked from the window in her room and her pale skin soaked the warm rays eagerly. It was early afternoon still, so if she were to hurry there she might be able to make it back before nightfall. All she needed was to see his face, if only for a moment. To understand why he left, to convince him to come back. For what end she was still unsure, but she pushed those thoughts aside.

The trotting of a horse came into earshot and Mary turned towards the sound to see the guard guiding a black horse towards her. She quickly approached the two walking towards her.

"Thank you. You've been a great help. I hope you'll keep your silence on this matter?"

Mary took the reins in her hand and mounted the black horse.

"Yes, my lady."

She hoped his assurance wasn't another lie in a royal court that seemed to be brimming with them, but she was desperate enough to take him at his word.

"When will you return, my grace?" the guard questioned looking up at her. His eyes seemed worried and Mary felt a pang of guilt for questioning his loyalty.

"I hope to be back before nightfall." She hoped that would be enough to reassure him.

The directions the guard gave were straightforward and easy to understand. Mary was glad that she managed to get out of the castle. The fresh air was calming, the weather was beautiful and the ride was clearing her head. It didn't take too long for the eagerness of seeing Bash's face again to set in and her nerves began to bounce with anticipation.

* * *

The château was on the outskirts of a local village. Luckily she didn't need to enter the village to get there, so there was even less of a chance of running into someone who would recognize her. She had dressed down just in case, and the cloak she chose was a plain brown similar in shade as her eyes. From far away no one would notice the intricate golden thread that could set her apart as someone who held wealth. She guided the horse left to the path the guard had instructed her to turn at. The path was wooded and the green leaves blocked the sun above. Mary nearly missed the warmth of the sun, but the end of the path was near and before she knew it she has crossed into an open space of grass where the large château loomed in the distance. The horse began to trot quicker as she encouraged it to speed up. She couldn't help but smile as she wondered if Bash could hear the horse approaching and if he knew only one person was arriving.

* * *

Sebastian lay his head against the table. He had woken up and drank the last of his rum and he knew if he wanted more he had to make a trip into the village to get more, but the thought of leaving the château wasn't appealing. Laying his head here felt much better. Everything kept moving too quickly for him.

The sound of a horse approaching perked his ears. Only one. He groaned, hoping it wasn't Francis coming to fight him. He didn't have the energy for anything physical right now and with the range of emotions he was feeling he was worried he might try to fight back. He needed the distance so he could catch his emotions and mold them into something that could be strong. Pulling his heavy body up from the table in the corner of his room he drug himself toward the window to look down at the ground below. He recognized the horse tied up to a post below, it was from the castle stables, but he couldn't see who it had carried. His brow crinkled and he sat back down at the table. He decided answering it would only be asking for trouble, it'd be easier to just pretend he wasn't here.

* * *

Mary had knocked on the door repeatedly to no answer and her chest began to ache. He wasn't answering the door. He didn't want to see her. The door didn't budge so she wasn't able to get in, but she knew there must be other entrances. It looked as if the château was empty, but there were servant quarters for when it was occupied. She left the horse where she had tied it up and walked towards the side of the building. Relief flooded her when she found another door and it opened successfully on the first yank. It was an entrance to the kitchens and she found a staircase that led up and out of the servant quarters to the main areas of the large home. The interior was dark, quiet and even a little cold. Portraits caught her as she walked down the long hall of people she recognized, most particularly of Diane. You could tell the King admired her very much, even though he kept other mistresses and had a wife, he stayed true to her in a way that she could appreciate. Even though his escapades with Kenna had left a sour taste in her mouth as of late. She couldn't help it, she didn't want to see her friend hurt.

An open door sparked her interest and she hurried towards it. As she veered towards the room she heard a groan and a voice,

"Aha. I caught you."

Bash stumbled out of the room and bumped right into her.

"You caught me?" Mary asked, her tone uncertain.

At hearing Mary's voice and seeing it was her, Bash immediately stepped back and his posture changed from what she thought was meant to be a defensive stance to something she couldn't quite understand.

"Were you attacking me?" Mary's confusion was evident.

"That wasn't a very good job, Sebastian. I heard you before you came out." She added. Her eyes began to take him in as she looked him up and down. He was a literal disaster. He eyes were red, the stubble on his face hadn't been trimmed in the week he had been gone, his clothes were wrinkled and he smelled strongly of rum.

"Bash, have you been drinking?" She stated the obvious and she stepped towards him, placing her hands on his arms that were crossed over his body. He was looking down at the ground intently focusing on the red floor, not at her. She brought her hand up towards his face and placed it on his cheek, "Bash?" she said his name again softening the tone of her voice. "Answer me. Please."

He pulled away with a clumsy gesture and rolled his back along the wall and door frame as he turned back in towards the room.

"I'm fine. And you should probably go." His slurred response gave Mary enough evidence that he was indeed drunk. Very drunk.

Mary approached him again, grabbing his arms with her small hands and pulling him towards her, but he pulled away yet again and went further into the room towards a bed. She pulled the hood of her cloak back off of her head and began to remove it as she followed him.

"I'm not going anywhere." She laid the cloak on a table situated near the wall opposite of the bed.

Bash had laid down on his bed, his face was hiding in a pillow. This isn't quite what she expected. She didn't know what she expected exactly, but she'd never seen Bash act quite this unwelcoming or depressed before and she couldn't stop her body from wanting to get nearer and comfort him. She walked over to the bed and kneeled on it as she looked over him.

"Sebastian, I had to see you. Please talk to me, I rode for an hour get here."

After another few moments of silence he finally complied, turning his body towards her he sat up, but still averted his gaze elsewhere too afraid to meet her eyes.

"You shouldn't have. Francis will come looking for you soon and if he finds you here with me that'll be the end of me. He won't be so forgiving, especially after all that has happened. In his eyes I attempted not only to take his woman, but more importantly his throne. That's not easy to let go of."

"Francis has gone with your Father and some delegates hunting. Nobody is looking for me. That's why I came, because I had a free moment and I don't want to waste it arguing." She didn't agree on the fact that Francis did really hate Bash right now. She knew with time the anger would fade, but it definitely wouldn't be anytime soon and she didn't want to confirm what he saying when he was so obviously upset.

"I'm not arguing. There is nothing left to argue about." Bash replied. His tone was simple and held finality. He was gathering himself together successfully.

Mary didn't often cry. She found it useless and it never seemed to help a situation become better and her life had been filled with trials she didn't want to be in, but she couldn't help the tears that started to swell up. She laid her head into Bash's lap and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I've missed you. I had to come and see you, Bash."

Sebastian sighed. The tears were impossible to resist. Like him, vulnerability wasn't something she easily showed and he'd only seen it a few times, but never quite in this form. He pulled her up and encouraged her onto his lap and held her. The moments passed by slowly and he could feel Mary's body tremble near his. He pushed her hair behind her ear with a gentle hand and finally spoke,

"I've missed you too."


End file.
